ACCIPITER RUFIVENTRIS.
mandible towards base a light horn colour, towards and at tip liver-brown,
its edge below and in front of nostrils greenish yellow; lower mandible
below and at base greenish yellow,—elsewhere liver-brown. Cere greenish
yellow. Eyes bright yellow.
Female.—Upper parts, wings, under tail coverts, and tail, coloured as in
the male. Sides of neck, lower portion of throat, breast, belly, vent, and
thighs white; each of the feathers of the sides of the neck marked with
a narrow longitudinal brown line, those of the breast, belly, vent, and
thighs with a similar line, and besides with several narrow waved yellowish
brown bars, irregularly edged with brownish red. The colours of the tarsi,
toes, claws, bill, cere, and eyes, as in the male.
F orm , &c.|#Figure moderately slender and like that of the Sparrow Hawk
(Accipiter Nisus) of Europe. Upper mandible strongly hooked, nostrils oblong
and suboval, bristles at angles of mouth many and rigid. Wings when folded
reach nearly to the middle of the tail, the fourth quill feathers the longest,
the fifth nearly of equal length, the third slightly shorter and rather.longer,
than the sixth, the second and seventh nearly equal, and about an inch
shorter than the third, the first about half the length of the fourth. Tail
nearly even, or only very slightly rounded. Tarsi long and slender, anteriorly
scutellated, posteriorly reticulated. Toes long and rather slender, the inner
one much the shortest, the outer and middle ones connected at base by a well
developed membranous web. Claws long, slender, considerably curved, and
sharp pointed.
DIMENSIONS.
Male. Female. Male. FemALE.
In. Ls. In. Ls. In. Ls. ' In. Ls.
Length from the point of the Length of the tarsus. . . . . . 2 0
bill-to 'the base of the of the outer toe.. . . 0 1]
tail '............................ 7 0 8 6 of the middle toe .. . . 1 4 1 H
of the bill to the angle of of the inner toe. . . . M -0. 7 0 7J
the mouth................... 0 8 0 10 of the hinder, toe' .'. ... 0 6 0 61
of the wings when’folded 8 0 8 • 8
of tail.. . .......................... 6 2 7 1
The individual represented in the plate and lettered C, is of the same
species but of a different age from the other two. The character of its
colouring would indicate it as the adult bird, and if such be the case, the
others must be regarded as not exhibiting the mature plumage. It is of the
ACCIPITER RUFIVENTRIS.
same size and figure as the male, lettered A, and already described ; the
colours are as follow :—
The upper parts, comprising the head, neck, interscapular, back, upper
tail coverts, and lesser wing coverts, intermediate between brownish red and
lavender-purple, to which is superadded a distinct gloss of the latter; the
shoulder feathers are faintly edged with pearl-grey. The quill and scapular
feathers coloured as in the specimens already described. The bars of the
tail, so far as the numbers are concerned, are also similar, but the light
coloured ones have superiorly a greyer tint, and the portion of shaft between
them is of a clearer white. The ear coverts, sides of the neck, lower part of
the throat, breast, belly, and thighs, clear reddish orange, without variegations
; upper parts of throat yellowish white ; under tail coverts pure white.
Colour of legs, toes, claws, bill, and eyes, as in the specimens described.
This species occurs, though sparingly, in all parts of the Colony, and specimens are
not uncommon near to Cape Town and towards the sources of the Great Fish river. It
resembles in its habits the common Sparrow Hawk, and its chief food consists of small
quadrupeds and birds.. The majority of the specimens which I have had the opportunity of
examining,»exhibited the colours of the specimen lettered C.